Alcohol Abuse | Symptoms

Am I drinking too much?

You are drinking too much if one of the following statements is true. You are:

• A woman who has more than 7 drinks* per week or more than 3 drinks per occasion
• A man who has more than 14 drinks* per week or more than 4 drinks per occasion
• Older than 65 years of age and have more than 7 drinks* per week or more than 3 drinks per occasion

*One drink = one 12-oz bottle of beer (4.5 percent alcohol), one 5-oz glass of wine (12.9 percent alcohol) or 1.5 oz of 80-proof distilled spirits.

Am I drinking heavily?

You are drinking heavily if one of the following statements is true. You are:

• A woman who has more than 3 drinks every day or 21 drinks per week
• A man who has more than 5 drinks every day or 35 drinks per week

Am I taking risks with alcohol?

You are taking risks with alcohol if one or more of the following statements are true. You:

• Drink and drive, operate machinery or mix alcohol with over-the-counter or prescription medicine
• Don't tell your doctor or pharmacist that you are a regular drinker
• Are pregnant or are trying to become pregnant and drink at all (even small amounts of alcohol may hurt an unborn child)
• Drink alcohol while you are looking after children
• Drink alcohol even though you have a medical condition that can be made worse by drinking

Has my drinking become a habit?

Your drinking has become a habit if you drink regularly to:

• Relax, relieve anxiety or go to sleep
• Be more comfortable in social situations
• Avoid thinking about sad or unpleasant things
• Socialize with other regular drinkers

Has drinking alcohol become a problem for me?

Alcohol has become a problem for you if one or more of the following statements are true. You:

• Can't stop drinking once you start
• Felt the need to cut down on your drinking
• Have tried to stop drinking for a week or so but only quit for a few days
• Fail to do what you should at work or at home because of drinking
• Feel guilty after drinking
• Find other people make comments to you about your drinking
• Felt annoyed by criticism of your drinking
• Have a drink in the morning to get yourself going after drinking heavily the night before
• Can't remember what happened while you were drinking
• Have hurt someone else as a result of your drinking

Is alcohol taking over my life?

Yes, if you:

• Ever worry about having enough alcohol for an evening or weekend
• Hide alcohol or buy it at different stores so people will not know how much you are drinking
• Switch from one kind of drink to another hoping that this will keep you from drinking too much or getting drunk
• Try to get "extra" drinks at a social event or sneak drinks when others aren't looking